Fly Fish

Ian Grierson, Saddleback's own Maine Guide.

When the Berry family bought Saddleback in 2003, they honored the Mountain’s heritage by restoring the original ski trail names to the fly fishing patterns that made Rangeley famous. Rangeley’s own Carrie Stevens, Herb Welch, Dick Frost, and Bud Wilcox created many of these flies on the rivers represented by the names of our chair lifts, buildings, and on-mountain condos. Some of the country’s finest wild and scenic rivers including the Kennebago, Cupsuptic, Magalloway, Rangeley, Sandy, Dead, Upper Dam Pool, and the Rapid, are all within an hour's drive from Saddleback; while three of Rangeley’s most picturesque ponds are right here on Saddleback’s property. Fly fishing is ingrained in the history of this region, because it was once North America’s premier fishing destination.

In the past thirty years the Rangeley Region has seen a revitalization in the health of its fisheries. Thanks to strict regulations by Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, conservation groups like the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, www.flyfishinginmaine.com and dedicated patrons, the Rangeley Lakes Region is reclaiming its historic stature. In the United States alone, 95% of the nation’s intact native strains of brook trout remain in the State of Maine. Some would argue The Rangeley Lakes Region is the finest brook trout and landlocked salmon fishery in the Eastern United States, and Saddleback Guide Service invites you to make these claims for yourself.